My friends and family whom I love so much,
I am sad to say that only 6 weeks remain in what has been the most amazing and happy time of my life. Preparing for this day, I have felt inspired to share with you all some important things.
I only have 6 more Pdays to write to you all. Therefore I have committed to writing a group email every Pday with a special topic that I have learned and applied on my mission, somethings that I consider of great value. I hope that you all read them and enjoy them. Each email will have an invitation that I hope you all complete. I would love to hear a report back from you all on the invitation. Please read these emails because they are going to be emails that I will put lots of time and thinking into.
Today I will start with the first topic.
1. The Roadblock of Pride.
Oh how I wished I could have learned this one a long time ago. I have come to know here on the mission that pride is the biggest roadblock that we have to be able to recieve salvation. Pride is what has always been the biggest downfall of man and woman on the face of the earth. Pride is what causes the wars, the lies, the breakups, the sadness, the murders and the crimes. Pride is our biggest enemy and it is the worldwide sin.
Here on my mission, I have had many circumstances to deal with pride in different cases. I have had companions who were VERY prideful and very hard to work with. There have been times when I have fallen into my own pride. And those times that I fell into my own pride, I had the least amount of success. We did not progress. I have seen missionaries with so much talent and ability in the mission and with the potential to become great leaders, yet their pride was what made them fall and not progress. Investigators have not received the salvation yet due to the pride that is in their hearts. Members and wards and stakes fall and struggle because we are prideful and not humble to the councils of our leaders. I know that pride is our biggest enemy, and we must avoid it.
I have learned to be much more humble, not just towards other people, but towards God and His will. He knows what is best for me, and sometimes I do not. Therefore sometimes I need to humbly accept His will and carry on, even if I do not like it. The Lord has the pieces in place, and if we have pride, we will only be taking the pieces out of place. I have learned that I need to listen to the councils from President, my leaders and even the missionaries that are under my leadership to be able to be more humble and more like Christ. I have come to this sure knowledge, a man with a prideful and hard heart, will not be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Sometimes we all need to be humbled if we do not do it ourselves. That has happened to me. Several times. The Lord has humbled me in ways that were hard, because I was too prideful to humble myself and accept His will. Therefore I have now come to know that pride is the biggest and hardest roadblock that we all need to overcome.
"Behold, the pride of this nation, or the people of the Nephites, hath proven their destruction except they should repent." - Moroni 8:27
Let us be more humble then, family and friends. Let us humble recieve council from our family, our brethren, our leaders, our husbands and wives, and from our children. Let us recieve with a humble and loving heart council and correction from the Lord. Only this way will we become stronger against the adversary and stronger in the world. I know this to be true with all my heart.
I have 2 invitations for you all.
First, please read the talk given by President Benson called "Beware of Pride" Report to me on what you learned.
Second, please share with my 2 ways that you are going to be more humble in your life. Maybe Ill get some ideas.
I love you all so much and hope this was good for you!
Next week I will share with you my next point!!!!
2. Love One Another.
"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you" - John 15:12
Can you all imagine what this world would be like if we all just loved everyone a little more?
I have truly come to love everything here in the mission. I cannot say that I do not love any of my companions and friends here in the mission. One of the best feelings here is getting together as a zone or as several zones or as a whole mission, the feeling of love for everyone just fills the room. We all love each other, I love my companions with my whole soul and I can promise that I will never forget them. I love the members, the investigators and all people that I meet, even the ones of hard heart. Love is something that I have come to see is so important, and something that the world is lacking.
Just take a minute to pause and think about a little act of love that you could do. Just imagine how that could make someones day. I have seen and met people that by just giving them a loving smile and handshake or hug and maybe a little gift, completely makes their week. With just the smallest act we can change lives. If we love one another, as the Savior loves us, we will see great differences in the atmosphere that we live in.
The greatest love that I have developed here on the mission is my love for our Lord and Savior. Before the mission I can definitely say that I did not posess this type of love. Now my love for Him is unbreakable. I never thought I could love someone so much that I have never met personally. I know that the Savior lived walked and died for us out of pure love. He loves us, should we not love Him?
We can love Him by loving one another, just as He taught us. If the world was filled with more love, there would be less war, less breakups, less murders, less hate, less depression, less destruction. Love is truly the key to all the worlds problems. So let us love one another!
Love your families! Love your friends, your teachers, your children, your spouses, your companions! Love your enemies!!!! Just remember that we must love everyone around us! If we have more love in us, life will be so much easier.
Love is what has carried me through this mission. Love is what has made me serve with all that I possibly have. Love is what has made me the man I am today, a lot different than I was before.
So I have 2 invitations for you all this week. This week look for a way to share an act of love with:
A family member
An old friend
An enemy
And a random person of course!
And please share with me that small act! Then I would love to hear from you all, a way in how you are going to have more love this week!
I look forward to hearing from you, because that in turn will strengthen me and you together! Just as the topic is for this week, I love you all, and I thank you for the love you have for me and the Savior. And I thank you for your support and care! I hope you enjoyed this email!